Famines in History, Persian Famine of 1917 by Ahmed Shaker Alalaq
During the years of World War I, Iran suffered immense material and human losses. The wars between the conflicting parties resulted in widespread death and destruction, accompanied by waves of famine, disease, and economic devastation. Numerous villages were destroyed, vast swathes of agricultural land were rendered barren, turning into desolate wastelands.This situation disrupted Iran's internal and external trade, leading to widespread famine, particularly during the drought of 1917-1918. Desperate people were forced to consume animal flesh. Meanwhile, the court and its entourage, in collaboration with the occupying forces, controlled the country's economic situation, leading to exorbitant price increases, especially for food.The British even published lists of Iranian merchants and local companies collaborating with their enemies. The recession affected exports, with dried fruits plummeting from 70 million tomans to 18 million tomans. The leather industry and exports also deteriorated, falling from 70 million tomans to 30 million tomans during the war years. Cotton production declined both domestically and globally, from 83 million tomans to 24 million tomans. Craft production was also severely affected, with many shops and factories closing down and being forced to lay off workers. In such circumstances, the British began sending large numbers of these workers to Iraq to work on their massive projects there. Black markets flourished due to widespread theft and disappearance of grains and agricultural crops from state warehouses, as happened in Kermanshah province. A document from the Iranian Interior Ministry reported that these crops had been delivered to the Ottoman army stationed there. Consequently, the price of wheat in many Iranian cities increased twentyfold compared to its pre-war price. In Tabriz, the living conditions worsened following the spread of "alarming" news about the depletion of crops from warehouses. People crowded around bakeries for bread, but most returned home empty-handed after a long wait. The Cossacks became "beasts" in their dealings with the remaining pre-war agricultural products, while bakers and small shop owners were at the mercy of military leaders and council members in the city. The situation was even worse in Qazvin, especially regarding bread, which was "not available at all." Some people took advantage of the bread shortage by gathering the residents and leading them to mosques, where they sometimes marched to the governor-general's headquarters to express their complaints. Kurdistan was no better off than its predecessors: "For some time, the bread situation in the region has been beyond imagination, scarce, and even non-existent," to the extent that the telegraph department and its inspectors complained about the lack of bread, which affected their work within government departments. the initial results of the famine and drought that swept through the country were evident in the increasing number of deaths among the poor. Statistics compiled by the Tehran Police Department and issued by the Tehran District Commissariats indicate that the number of victims in Tehran reached 382 during the month of February 1917. The death toll gradually increased, reaching 520 in Tehran between January 20 and February 5, 1917. Between March 11 and the end of April 1918, the total number of deaths reached approximately 2761, according to the daily report on washing affairs. Based on this, a Persian source indicated that the final death toll in Iran during the war years was approximately 300,000 people throughout the country. As for the number of poor people, a report by the Iranian Interior Ministry stated that their number had reached around 2260 in Tehran alone Based on the widespread famine and increasing death rates in most Iranian provinces, the Iranian government decided to control the distribution of food to the people. This led to the idea of providing cooked food to the poor. In mid-March 1918, the Council of Ministers approved the cooking of 30 bags of rice in six areas of Tehran, the cooking of approximately 25 kilograms of meat, and the distribution of 5 tons of broad beans to the poor. In addition, the government decided to sell bread directly and openly, while monitoring prices in bakeries by issuing strict laws in this area. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance issued a statement on March 17, 1918, warning people who had more wheat or barley than their needs to hand it over to the authorities On the other hand, the economic changes in communist Russia had a negative impact on Iran's trade situation. The implementation of laws related to state dominance of the commercial sector in Russia reduced the possibility of trade exchange for Iranian merchants with Russia and limited the number of buyers of Iranian goods to a single government center.
About the Author
Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shaker Alalaq Certificate Obtaining Authority: Iraq, University of Kufa General specialty: modern and contemporary history Detailed specialty: Modern and contemporary history of Iran Academic title: Professor ahmed.alallaq@uokufa.edu.iq Administrative Work: 1. Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Kufa Arts. 2. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal of Al-Zaytoonah University International. 3. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal of Iranian Studies / Germany. 4. Member of the Scientific Committee of the International Journal of Kurdish Studies / Germany. 5. Member of the Advisory Board of the Afro-Asian Journal of Scientific Research (AAJSR), published by the African Academy for Advanced Studies (AAAS), headquartered in Libya. Printed Books: 1. Political Parties and Organizations in Iran, Amman: Dar Al-Bidaya Publishers 2. Iran in the Era of Ahmad Shah 1909-1925, Amman: Dar Al-Bidaya 3. Iran: A Study in Social and Economic Developments and Foreign Relations, Amman: Dar Al-Bidaya 4. Dictionary of Iranian Personalities, Amman: Dar Al-Bidaya 5. Iran: A Study in Documentary Texts, Amman: Dar Al-Bidaya 6. Studies in the History of the Iranian National Consultative Assembly 7. Applications of Artificial Intelligence
